Social Seens... Photography by Gram
Golden Baton Award
The Florida Orchestra Guild of St. Petersburg presented its 52nd Golden Baton Award to Barbara and Thomas Farquhar at
its fundraising dinner in St. Petersburg. Tom is the immediate past chair of the orchestra’s board of directors, while Barbara is a
member of its board of consultants. Guild President Peggy Grom welcomed guests to the ceremony, and The Florida Orchestra’s
principal flutist Clay Ellerbroek, whom the Farquhars sponsor, played Bach and Debussy prior to the presentation of the award.
Sheila Tempelmann, the guild’s chair, who co-chaired the evening with Sara Galiger, presented the champagne toast to the Farquhars.
Tom and Barbara Farquhar received the
2019 Golden Baton Award in recognition
of their many leadership contributions to
The Florida Orchestra.
Janet Paroo, board chair of The Florida
Orchestra, and her husband Iqbal thanked
guests for attending this event.
The Florida Orchestra’s Music Director
Michael Francis and its new president
and CEO Mark Cantrell congratulated the
Farquhars on their award.
Chiselers Market Preview Party
166 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | MAY/JUNE 2019
Photography by Gram
The Chiselers, who formed in 1959 to preserve and restore the 1891 former Tampa Bay Hotel that is now the H.B. Plant Hall on
the University of Tampa campus, hold a Market and Preview Party there to help fund their work. Patsy and Gene McNichols were
honorary chairs of the Chiselers’ 23rd annual party with co-chairs Kathy Beeson and Cathy Brainard, while masters of ceremonies
were Kathy Fountain and Frank Robertson, who presided over silent and live auctions and a “twice the price” boutique of donated
treasures. The following day’s 56th annual Chiselers Market, chaired by Teri Willis and billed as Tampa’s largest one-day thrift
sale, attracted additional shoppers to support the upkeep of the National Historic Landmark.
Dr. Ron and Renee Vaughn were patrons
of the Chiselers fundraisers for an
endowed scholarship and Plant Hall
renovations at the University of Tampa,
where he is president.
Preview Party committee member
Mary Jane Martinez and her husband,
former Gov. Bob Martinez, were among
the patrons of the Chiselers Preview Party
and Market.
Catherine Straz, The Honorable David Straz
and their daughter Keebler helped underwrite
the Chiselers’ preservation efforts of the former
Tampa Bay Hotel through their family foundation.